‘When I see children playing, my heart breaks’

Contributor

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In African culture infertility is taken as a female problem, and never something that afflicts males. This social stigma is one that needs changing

“By the age of 25, I was already married and after an unsuccessful period of us trying to have children, we decided to visit the hospital. I recall going to see the doctor for the results, hoping that it was my wife’s fault. I was shocked to know I was the one with the issue. I remember vividly how the doctor looked at me in the eyes and told: ‘I am sorry to inform you that, you’ve got azoospermia, and surgery is needed to unblock your tubes.’ Azoospermia is the medical term used when there is no sperm in the ejaculate. It can be “obstructive,” where there is a blockage preventing sperm from entering the ejaculate, or it can be “non-obstructive” when it is due to decreased sperm production by the testis. The surgery news hit me like a thunderbolt and I was plagued by thoughts of what the future held. I wondered if there was any reason to be alive. It was heart-wrenching for my wife but I am glad she stood by me.

‘When I see children playing, my heart breaks’

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